Heather Cook - The green guide for horse owners and riders: sustainable practices for horse care, stable management, land use, and riding

THE GREEN GUIDE FOR HORSE OWNERS AND RIDERS

Sustainable Practices for Horse Care, Stable Management, Land Use, and Riding

HEATHER COOK

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by
publishing practical information that encourages
personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Deborah Burns and Sue Ducharme
Art direction and book design by Cynthia N. McFarland
Cover design by Alethea Morrison
Text production by Jennifer Jepson Smith

Cover and interior decorative art by Mutt Ink
Illustrations by Michael Gellatly, except for insects page 144 by Cathy Baker
Infographics by Leslie Anne Charles
Maps by Ilona Sherratt
Photograph on page 8 iStockphoto.com, with additional photos on pages 93 and 164 by Mars Vilaubi

Indexed by Nancy D. Wood

2009 by Heather Cook

Quotation on page vii from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages or reproduce illustrations in a review with appropriate credits; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other without written permission from the publisher.

The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the author or Storey Publishing. The author and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. For additional information, please contact Storey Publishing, 210 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA 01247.

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Printed in the United States by Versa Press
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Cook, Heather, 1977

The green guide for horse owners and riders / by Heather Cook.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-60342-147-8 (pbk.: alk. paper)

ISBN 978-1-60342-148-5 (hardcover: alk. paper)

1. HorsesEnvironmental aspects. 2. Environmental

protectionCitizen participation. I. Title.

SF285.C59 2009

636.100286dc22

2009007847

How equines evolved from
prey to partner, and how that
affected the environment

Earth-friendly solutions for
your power needs

Planning and site selection

Building green structures from
scratch

Going greener by adapting
existing structures

How to have an environmentally
sound barn with minimal
consumer waste

Emphasize reduction and reuse

How to evaluate your needs and maintain
and conserve clean water

How to maintain pastures and protect
the ecology with effective rotation and
planting techniques

Feeding 1 to 100 horses while
minimizing your carbon footprint

An overview of the common chemicals
we use on our horses with alternatives
and disposal techniques

Considerations for the professional
horseman

Environmentally friendly
trail-riding strategies

To my husband, Randall, who believed in me.

And my children, Michael and Emily,
who believed Mommy would be right there as soon as she finished this last paragraph.
I hope you grow up in a world where being green is no longer a new thing.

And to my mom and dad: I guess some of those hippie genes
rubbed off on your redneck, cowgirl daughter after all.

And to my Heavenly Father, that we might tend and keep the earth you gave us.
May we humbly accept this responsibility and know that
to honor your creation is to honor you.

The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity. Psalms 115:16

When you consider the age of our earth, it wasnt so long ago that we thought the world was flat and the sun circled around it. There may come a day in our not-so-distant future that we look back on the early years of the environmental movement and marvel at what we did not know.

As horse owners, we have a unique position that the average consumer does not: we have an intimate relationship with one of Gods creatures. Much different from your average dog or cat owner who picks up pet food at the local supermarket, we know how our horse relies on this earth for his food. We see the immediate connection between the health of our ecosystem and the health of our horses. We are often the first to recognize urban creep as cities expand into previous farmland and as civilization expands into untouched regions of our planet.

I believe that we have a responsibility to ourselves, our children, and yes, even to God, to care for this planet and preserve her resources. The single most powerful natural resource on this planet is you.

Many people gave generously of their time, resources, and information to bring this book and its vision to fruition.

Top of the list is my agent, Kate Epstein, who has a keen eye for detail, a definite desire to do what is right, and the heart of an encourager. And shes also a pretty darn good person. She is possibly tied with Deb Burns, my editor on this project. You have forever spoiled me for all other editors with your patience and positive, uplifting e-mails. Guess well just have to work together on more projects.

I encountered many industry experts who were quite liberal with their time and patiently explained many details so I knew them inside and out and could explain them to others. Most notably I tip my environmentally friendly, low-embodied-energy, and completely recyclable hat to Alayne Blickle with HorsesForCleanWater.com, Mary Ann Simonds with MysticHorse.com, and Dr. Mylon Filkins with American Trails.org. You filled my cup many times over.

To every horse owner I encountered who let me talk about their manure piles, muddy paddocks, the fuel economy on Grandpas pickup, and incredibly interesting water rights regulations: thank you!

And to my grandfather Fredrick Mervyn Atton (former Chief Research Biologist for the Fisheries Department of the Government of Saskatchewan), who taught me that science and faith do not need to be strange bedfellows: you are missed.